Negotiation Series Blog 1 – Think Feel and Do.

Do you wish for a slightly easier life when it comes to selling and negotiating?

The art of minimum friction – maximum outcome negotiation can become a reality when we embrace the use of proven influencing skills.

The most powerful form of influencing involves creating a vision for your opposite number illustrating their dream future – a magical place where their current problem is absent, something they need to do has been accomplished or something they are currently experiencing as unpleasant has been avoided.

Negotiation is about CONTRAST

This technique, taken from sales copywriting experts, is called the TFD, think, feel and do formulation.

There are two time zones that exist in the mind of your counterpart and negotiation partner – the negative now and their dream future. Your job is to fill in the six boxes with colourful detail…

Now

Thinking

Feeling, &,

Doing

And,

Dream Future

Thinking

Feeling, &,

Doing

Let’s look at an example; Negotiating the private sale of a car.

The seller may investigate the circumstances of the buyer’s current state, Now – Thinking – “I have completely written down this car in my company accounts, so I am free to invest in a new one.”

They feel slightly ashamed driving to their office in a bit of a banger with those scratches all the way along the driver-side door.

Their Dream future involves them thinking – “I am driving a new and shiny vehicle and I am writing off as much as I legally can against company profit.”

I am feeling less ashamed and more confident today as I rock up in my new motor and I am doing more social miles as I really like the way the new car drives.

Contrast – The key skill you need to practice to maximise impact, is in creating as wide a gap as possible between your counterpart’s current levels of dissatisfaction and their prospects for their feeling wild future happiness.

Exercise – What scenario will you use and how will you fill in the six boxes?

Start thinking about a real work based scenario for your customer / supplier / colleague and fill away.

Help – Do feel free to call me, if you need help with this exercise…

07540 65 9995 – Matthew

About matthew

Matthew Hill is a leadership author, coach and trainer with a passion for helping newly promoted managers become inner and outer leaders.